Servant
by I Kneel for Loki
Summary: It was 1723 and Darcy Lewis needed somewhere to go, so when the opportunity to work for the infamous God of Mischief arose she took it without thought. But this enigmatic immortal seemed to want more from her than just her cleaning services. Loki was always hovering on the edge of her mind, keeping her sanity in question at all time. *Dark Loki. Don't like, don't read.*
1. Chapter 1

_Southern Norway, 1723_

Loki Laufeyson allowed the overwhelming detest that seemed to flow through his veins like his blood. For a millennia, to this day, he had been exiled to this useless rock of a planet. His adoptive father had cast him out for grievous crimes against the court. Closing his eyes to prevent the crackling magic around him from lashing out, Loki revelled in his rage. It kept him from fully teetering off the edge of sanity.

He couldn't help but smile sardonically at the irony of his situation. Sentenced to a life of exile on Midgard for trying to take the throne and yet everywhere he went, the people worshipped him as a god. Doubtful was this part of Odin's master plan. Loki opened his eyes, looking around the great study of his manor. Bookshelves reached the ceiling, filled with all the knowledge of this pathetic world. Ladders connected the ceiling and floor so one may be able to reach even the highest shelve, unnecessary as he could will each and every book to appear in his hand.

How terribly bored did he feel. War was his delightful game, but unfortunately after this last one Loki doubted anyone would dare attack his land again. He had won within weeks, but many of his people had died. Half his servants had perished when the enemy attacked the manor in his absence. Loki would admit to be peeved at the inconvenience of being short staffed. A knock on the door brought the God of Mischief from his musing. Jane Foster was the head servant in his dwelling and currently in charge of replenishing the ranks.

An immigrant from Britain, Jane Foster was quite brilliant was the disgusting species she was part of. Always keeping a level head, Loki was happy to have her deal with the humans so he would not have to. He addressed her coldly, irritated that he had been interrupted. "Have the dead mortals been replaced yet?" Loki knew she hated the term mortal, and had greater disdain that he could care so little about the people who served him till their deaths.

"Suitable people are still being chosen. At a time like this, we do not to bring those with ill will into your home." Foster retaliated as usual, referring to the place he lived as his home. Loki didn't have a home; Asgard no longer welcomed him and Jötunnheim would never accept him.

"Our enemies know not of my power. Round up everyone capable of the jobs. I will test if their loyalties lie elsewhere. I tire of the chaos losing so many has caused." Jane's eyes twinkled. He knew without asking that she had done so already. Rising from his large leather chair, Loki scowled at the insolent mortal who irritated him so. He stalked out of the study, not daring to suddenly appear in front of the potential servants as they may not know of that particular skill.

They were gathered in the large kitchen, awaiting his judgement in both anxiety and barely concealed fear. Many of them were male, as they had all but been eradicated off the premise. However, as many females had suffered the wrath of the enemy, several needed to be replaced. One particularly boisterous mortal grated on his nerves as he observed from the hallway before making his presence known. The male was currently harassing one of the shorter women, putting his hands on her in a most inappropriate and clearly unwanted way. Pathetic as it was, Loki was more disgusted that everyone around them were pretending not to notice. With an irritated wave of his hand, the foul excuse for a man was frozen solid, little more than a block of ice.

Suddenly every eye was on him, a mixture of horror and in the case of the previously bothered woman, relief. Taking his favoured small dagger from his Asgardian robes, Loki gracefully flicked it towards the now dead frozen man. Several muffled screams escaped his audience as the figurine exploded at their feet. He looked towards them, a truly menacing smile gracing his features.

"I would politely request that you all line up for my examination." His silver tongue, with magic all its own, easily spurred the terrified mortals to scramble into a line. He slinked quietly over the first and so the process began. One hand with a firm hold on their neck, other on their temple, Loki shredded any scrap of privacy they once held. He was in their mind, carefully mapping out every intention they had in relation to their potential role in his residence. Nearing the end of the line, he was annoyed by many of the fickle minds that would soon be under his command. Some women believed themselves worthy of his bed and sought to gain power by it. _Disgusting._ Dismissing them one by one as he finished the degrading process one could easily consider rape of the mind, Loki stared into the large, terrified blue eyes of his last servant-to-be.

He recognized her as the woman being harassed earlier by that poorly evolved human male. Loki frowned, realizing he had done what could easily be misconstrued as an act of kindness on her behalf. He raised his hand to take hold of her throat like all the others, gripping harder than strictly necessary. Loki quickly plunged himself into her mind.

Her name is Darcy Lewis. Silly and immature, just like her. She poked fun at people who could rip her in half as some sort of default safety measure. Like himself, she used words as her weapon. Unlike him, she was sarcastic and blunt, rather than manipulative. Her parents were German and now deceased, taken not by war but by sickness that could not be treated. There was an incredible lack of knowledge, but that was outshined by her unbearable need to learn more. She found him very attractive - not surprisingly - but she was too afraid to even think about anything further than being his servant. Though he did spot a grateful spark in her mind for supposedly saving her from that male. Emotions ran deep through her, so much so that Loki felt like he was swimming through them. It was sickening that one person could be so weak.

As he found no thoughts about betrayal, Loki ripped himself from her mind more forcefully than needed. Her large blue eyes were moist with unshed tears and filled with pain from his digging. The God of Lies scowled down at her short form. She should have scurried away like the scared mouse she currently resembled.

"I'm sorry." Darcy's small voice was shaking, but he heard it nonetheless. As Loki deepened his scowl and raised a perfectly smooth eyebrow, she jumped to explain. "You look irritated with me. Whatever it was you saw to become that way, I'm sorry...sir." She lamely finished with the respectful title, obviously not knowing what to call him. "Oh! And thank you sir. For helping me out." At this point, Darcy was staring intently at her dirty and bare feet, shame filling her that she couldn't even afford shoes.

Loki quickly realized he liked watching this little slip of a woman squirm under his intense gaze. She was wringing her hands and shifting her weight from foot to foot. "I removed him from existence to set an example, not to 'help you out'." His tone weighed down like a physical blow and Darcy immediately nodded her head, hoping he would not inflict the same punishment on her. The God of Mischief scowled down at her once more before swiftly exiting the kitchen. Returning to wing of the manor, Loki stopped by Jane who currently assigning who would be doing what.

"I want Miss Lewis assigned to my wing." He had done it on a whim, but the look Jane's face quickly made him wish he hadn't. A sly grin not unlike a cat encompassed her face as she nodded.

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief as her new master disappeared through the doorway. He was the God that walked among mortals and his ruthlessness was known to everybody. She herself had seen his capabilities not one hour ago. Darcy vaguely realized that her fear should run deeper, but it was hard to care too much when the man he dispatched with had all but been molesting her...and damn was the God of Lies delicious looking. She slapped her forehead with a groan of frustration. _So _not the right thing to be thinking.

Looking around the room she was in, Darcy cringed at the sight of the now-thawing chunks of flesh on the floor. A sickening feeling settled in her stomach until a glittering light caught her eye. A small, deadly sharp dagger lay within the goop on the floor. Walking over, careful to avoid the mush, she gingerly picked up the metal object. Flicking off little bits of blood, she slipped it into her light jacket for a later return. Darcy walked out of the kitchen towards the grand hallway the head servant had previously directed them to for when Loki finished with them.

"Darcy!" She blinked as someone called her name out, the loud noise causing the deep headache she had to worsen slightly. Jane Foster, as she came to know as the head servant's name, was approaching her with the efficiency of a woman long accustomed to working with deadlines. "You're in luck! You will be working in Master Loki's wing, a great honour I'm sure you know."

Feeling nervous about being in close proximity of such a heartless man (or God she corrected herself), Darcy spoke with her usual amount of deflecting sarcasm. "Oh joy. Do I get to make his bed every morning?"

"Well...yes, among other things." Jane's words left a heavy lump in her throat.

"Among other things? Such as?" Darcy certainly hoped she was not expected to fluff his pillows before bed.

"Cleaning all over in general and the like." At Jane's nonchalant wave of her hand, the blue eyed girl relaxed considerably. Cleaning she could handle; being in the presence of one drop dead gorgeous God...not so much.

"Thank you for the honour." Darcy made a point to bow respectfully. "Where shall I be staying while I am here?"

Jane grinned, obviously pleased at the question. "That is why I said you're in luck. Those who directly serve Master Loki are given much better living conditions. Please come with me." Darcy did so immediately.

Jane had not been kidding. The room she now found herself in had to be larger than the whole town she grew up in. Beautiful beds were neatly scattered about, some already occupied with a servant as they prepared to take on the night shifts. Darcy followed the slightly older woman over to one that appeared unclaimed. "This one will be yours. I suggest you try to break it in now because you'll be working the nights." Jane's words sunk in slowly as Darcy looked around her settings, but when did, she looked sharply at the head servant.

She opened her mouth as if to argue, but realized by the look on Jane's face that her shift was not optional and not to try. Closing her mouth with a snap, Darcy nodded her head, resigned to her fate. Jane excused herself then, saying something about tending to the other newbies.

The blue eyed woman looked at herself before glancing back at the glorious bed. Her tattered, dirty clothes and muck caked feet had no business being anywhere near that piece of heaven. She looked around for the bathing areas, hoping she would have enough time to get clean and still get enough sleep for her upcoming night. She found an empty pool and hurried out of the offending clothes. Darcy jumped as she felt a sharp jab over her ribs. The little dagger, sharp as it was, had cut through her jacket and shirt and nicked her skin. The cut was small but she frowned at the inconvenience. Stripping herself entirely bare, Darcy blissfully sink herself into the pool. It had been so long since she had properly bathed and even longer since it had been in warm water. Quickly scrubbing herself clean, she sadly realized that if she stayed in much longer, there would be no time to rest up. Woefully getting out, she wrapped a soft, fluffy towel around her torso. To her chagrin, Darcy realized that she would have no choice but to put the shameful clothes she arrived in back on.

"I certainly hope you do not plan on soiling your bed with those rags," a voice rang out in the bathing room. Darcy turned, happy to once again see Jane standing before her, this time with what looked like clothes and shoes in her hands. Darcy accepted them gratefully and discreetly slipped the dagger out of her old clothes that would no doubt be burned for their disgusting state.

The young woman changed quickly, beyond happy to feel the clean clothes on her skin. She didn't bother with the shoes yet, knowing she would be taking them off for bed anyways. Jane had since hustled else where as Darcy delightfully laid down in her new bed. While she dreaded her future work (one slip up and her new master could squish her like a bug), the blue eyed woman felt like she was where she belonged for the first time in a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

Darcy groaned as someone shook her awake from blissful sleep. She sat up from the sinfully comfortable bed and sighed. Time to go to work. Sluggishly, the busty woman leaned down to place her shoes on her feet. A grin played on the corners of her lips. _Her shoes._ How long had it been since she could claim shoes as her own?

The hustle and bustle of people coming in from their shifts and other people leaving for theirs was quite amusing to watch. Two girls had even crashed into each other in their haste. Thanking the woman who had bothered to wake her, Darcy deftly maneuvered herself to the person who would be assigning her the work for tonight.

"Romanoff! You'll be on security tonight, watching over the antiquities. Lewis! You're on cleaning. Cover the study and guest rooms." Darcy tuned the woman out as soon as she was given her task. She stared blatantly at the beautiful red haired woman before her. She was certainly deadly looking enough for security detail. Jealousy bloomed in her chest, knowing she'd never amount to anything like the lean woman in front of her. Darcy squashed the irrational resentment growing because of the red-head; it would lead her to no good if she made enemies on her first day.

She wandered off from the two women, not having a problem maneuvering around the maze-like manor. Her hand shook slightly as she pushed the door open. The study she found herself in was so grand she felt as if her presence disgraced it. Taking a deep breath, Darcy got to work. A fine layer of dust covered every surface but the desk. The task was difficult as some surfaces were quite high and others very low. A total of three hours passed before she felt the job was done well. Wiping sweat off her forehead, Darcy piled her supplies back into the bucket provided. She had very nearly left for the next room when she remembered the object in her jacket that was not hers.

Turning on her heel, Darcy walked over to the desk and took the dagger into her hand. It truly was a work of art. Slender and pointed and infinitely deadly. It was light in her hand, almost like it was made of paper. Writing in a language she didn't recognize was engraved down the blade. As safe as it made Darcy to feel to have the weapon in her hand, she knew it was not hers to keep. With a sigh, she set it down and left the study.

Loki sat quietly at his desk, mulling over various things until he heard the door open. Without much of a thought, he was no longer visible. Darcy Lewis nervously walked into the room, a look of awe covering her face and Loki couldn't help but feel irritation towards her transparency. She surveyed her surroundings before getting to her job of cleaning the whole room.

He would admit that watching her was quite entertaining. Her body was very appealing, mortal or not. Her short stature forced her to stretch to reach the higher surfaces and she shamelessly fell to her knees to sweep under the furniture. The sight was pleasing. Time passed too quickly for his liking and soon she was finished. Something akin to disappointment made him frown as she made to leave.

But she stopped.

Darcy turned sharply and marched over to his desk. For a moment Loki entertained the idea that she knew he was there, but dismissed it as impossible. She reached into the jacket provided to her pulled something out. Loki blinked, realizing it was one of his daggers. Mind previously occupied, he had forgotten to retrieve it. She stared at it with a wistful look on her face. He thought for a moment that she might attempt to take it for herself, but she squared her shoulders with a sigh and set it down before him. Grabbing her supplies, Darcy Lewis quickly fled the room.

So there he sat, staring at the little tool he had kept with him longer than modern history could record. Why did she return it? By the look on her face she certainly didn't want to. A dark expression covered Loki's face; was this an attempt at manipulation? Was she trying to make him think she was better than what she was? Nothing more than a pathetic mortal servant he owned. Loki rose to his feet angrily. Her mind was his property and tearing into it would reveal her intentions.

Darcy hummed quietly to herself as she cleaned the last room assigned to her. The work was hard enough to make herself proud for finishing, but not so hard that finishing was unlikely. Relief washed over her tired muscles as the last pillow was put in place. She was fina-

_Pain. _It sliced through her ear following the trail of the object that cut the shell. A shriek escaped her as she turned around to face her attacker. Mind numbing fear engulfed her as she saw the God of Lies glowering at her with murder in his eyes. What had she done? Did she insult him by some accident? Darcy didn't have time to contemplate his reasoning as she found herself thrown on the bed she had just fixed, pinned by his weight on top of her. No sound could push through her throat no matter how much fear raced through her. Her normal witty responses abandoned her as Loki looked down his nose at her. Lifting his hand, Darcy saw the small dagger she had just returned two hours ago fly into his grip. So that's what cut through her ear. Now it was pressed against her cheek in a warning to remain still.

Breathing went from a challenge to impossible as Loki's other hand lifted towards her temple. The last time he had done so left her head in an agony that hadn't quite abated yet. Darcy let out a whimper of pain and fear and struggled against his hold on her. The dagger cut into her cheek but the pain seemed minimal compared to what she knew she would feel if he dug into her mind while it was still so raw. Her pleas and attempts to free herself were ignored, and soon her head felt like it was being split in two by a hatchet.

Sobs escaped Darcy as she clutched at her master. His intent expression never wavered as she begged for his mercy, no warmth or pity anywhere on his face. She could feel him crawling inside her head, tearing apart her dignity while searching for something she desperately wished she could give him. Anything to end this.

Then it was over. The pain was still unbearable, but no longer was it escalating. Loki's face was unreadable and he had yet to move from on top of her. Tears flowed from her large blue eyes, but she suddenly felt very angry. How dare he hurt in such a way? She had only been there a day and a half and already he had violated her mind twice. Working up all the courage she had while slowly losing consciousness, Darcy spat in her God's face.

It stopped an inch from his face.

Loki's smug face infuriated her even more and caused the pounding in her head to increase. "_You dick._" Darcy managed to hiss the insult before her brain decided she was in too much pain to stay awake.

The banished god found his prey in the most lavish guest room within the wing. She was stupidly humming a silly tune to herself as she touched up the overly large bed, obviously pleased with her work. Loki took out his previously returned dagger and sent it flying towards her. It sliced through the side of her ear, causing her to yell in pain and surprise. She spun around and when her eyes landed on him, all blood fled from her face. The gears in her head were obviously working to figure out what she had done.

With speed she couldn't keep up with, he had her pinned beneath him on the large bed. Loki lifted his hand, the dagger unerringly finding its way back. He pressed it meaningfully against her cheek, knowing she'd understand his point.

Trying to inflict as much terror as possible, the trickster lifted his other hand to slowly approach her temple. Darcy's eyes widened comically, knowing what he intended to do. With a sudden ferocity she fought against him, staring at his hand like she's rather face Ragnarök. She pleaded for him to stop and he knew that with how terrified she was that he had been right about her nefarious plans. As his fingers came into contact with her skin, a bone chilling scream ripped through her. Her fingers gripped at his robes while she begged for his mercy.

Her thoughts were erratic with the pain and Loki had to push past it to see what her reasons had been. It was difficult work and when he finally reached them, he would admit to being disappointed. There had been no ulterior motive, only the belief that she had no right to take something that wasn't hers. Pulling away slightly from her, Loki looked down at the mess below him. Pain was clear on her face and so was a sense of betrayal. By the sudden inhale and back tilt of her head, he realized in time what she intended to do. The saliva she spat out halted before any came into contact with his face. Hate filled her eyes.

"_You dick._" The words had barely left her lips before her mind gave way to the refuge of sleep. Loki immediately felt resentment towards the girl for leaving him. This was the most fun he had had in ages! Her mind had been pathetically easy to conquer and yet he still felt a sense of pleasure for having done so. A frown tugged at his lips, realizing that if her mind remained splintered as it was, there was a good chance that she would not wake up. Well, there was no fun in that. Loki cursed Darcy for being so weak.

Raising a careful hand back to her temple, the god slowly let his mind merge with what was left of hers instead of forcefully asserting his presence. The damage done needed to be repaired if his new found toy were to ever entertain him again. He moved himself off of her tiny body, opting to lay beside her while the process went on. A feeling akin to sickness washed over him as he drew her towards him; sentiment was revolting but necessary for what he was trying to accomplish. From the time Loki had spent in her mind, he knew nothing quite calmed her like having her thigh rubbed.

His long fingers expertly danced along her skin and he knew the process of repairing the damage was going to be long and tedious. Keeping his place in her mind even without contact to her head, Loki dragged her unconscious form into his arms with no amount of gentleness. In an instant, he and his toy were now situated on his bed. There were no doors to his room and the windows did not open. The last thing the God of Lies wanted was to be caught showing more 'kindness' towards this servant than what had already transpired.

While calmly stitching up the deep gashes he had caused, Loki took the opportunity to see every little bit of information on this mortal possible. Her mouth could spout brave things, but he would love to see her expression as he threw a painful, personal memory in her face.

Instead of digging and clawing his way through, Loki let the information flow freely to him. Only her most recent thoughts and memories would surface. Darcy Lewis came here hoping to learn something, _anything._ Knowledge was never readily presented to her but she craved it all the same. Although she was far from naive in the ways of sexual relations, she herself had never been taken by a man. Loki was more pleased with this than he should have been. More and more information flooded towards him but the incredibly strong connection within their minds allowed for her exhaustion to seep into his head. Even if the pain hadn't forced her lights out, she would be asleep from the sheer comfort produced by him rubbing her thigh. If she was capable, Loki was sure she'd be purring by now.

Rather than fight the sleep he felt coming on, the god allowed himself to succumb to it. There was nothing this particularly pathetic girl could do to harm him and the process of nursing her mind back to health could be accomplished even without his direct consciousness. As his mind drifted out, Loki could admit he was looking forward to seeing her reaction to waking up next to a monster.


	3. Chapter 3

To Loki's irritation, he awoke before the mortal next to him. Her face was no longer pained but she showed no sign of waking up anytime soon. Getting up from his too-big bed, the trickster stared out of his floor to ceiling window. It was deep into winter and his country was currently being blanketed with snow. Darcy loved the snow.

The god blinked. Where in the world had that come from? He looked at the girl now curled up entirely around a single pillow. With a heavy sigh, Loki admitted to himself that he knew exactly where the thought came from. The mental link between them had remained open far too long to close. A small push against her mind confirmed his suspicion when she frowned and squirmed against his pillow.

Darcy became very restless at his probing and Loki grinned as she started waking up. He was beside her in an instant, eager to see what she would do. The silly girl stretched like a cat and several joints popped back into place. She froze before slowly letting her muscles relax and looked back at the god behind her.

There was no warning before she launched out of the bed with all the grace of a beheaded chicken. Panic was in her eyes as well as her mind. Loki let himself slither into her head, making sure she knew he was there.

"You asshole! What have you done to me?!" Darcy's voice currently reminded him of a banshee. Annoyed at her tone and angered at her words, the God of Mischief lept off the bed at her.

"Do _not _address me in such a manner. You should be begging for forgiveness, not throwing insults!" A snarl had formed on his face by the end of his reprimand. For once Darcy did not cower in the face of her angry master.

"Forgiveness? _Forgiveness?! _You attack my mind for no reason and you want _me_ to feel guilty?!" Fire was alight in her blue eyes. Where did this jerk get the audacity to accuse her of wrongdoing, especially after what he had done? One look at the stewing God in front of her told her that she should stop 'poking the bear'. Darcy's own death flashed briefly through her mind at the gods behest; the image did nothing but cause her anger to burn brighter.

"I open my residence to you, I save you from that oaf who would like nothing more than to destroy all light within you, I fix your pathetically broken mind, and _this _is how you repay your god?" All were done to his benefit and he only brought them up to remind her of his superiority, but her lack of gratitude was irksome.

"Okay, first of all, you said yourself that the only reason you got rid of him was to set an example, not to help me! Second of all, _you _are the one who 'broke' my mind in the first place!" Her words were hissed with hatred. "And let's not forget _I _didn't do anything to deserve it!"

"Who are you to decide what warrants my wrath?" Loki's voice went from boiling rage to a silent promise of death if she didn't tread lightly. This stupid girl was no longer entertaining him. To presume that she hadn't slighted him was to presume she knew the workings of his mind.

An appropriate amount of fear reflected back to him from their link but did not show on her face. Before she could retort, there was a knock on the wall that separated his room from the hallway.

"Master Loki? I apologize for the interruption, but do you happen to know where Miss Lewis has gone off to?" Jane Foster's steady voice reached his ears and with one last withering scowl at the insolent child before him (that she gladly returned) disappeared from the room.

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief as she was once again freed from the god's presence. Only twice had he been near her and she found it was more than enough to last a lifetime. He was overbearing and had a serious anger problem.

The decision to come here was glaringly wrong now and she wondered if it was too late to leave. To where, she had no idea. Her parents had been born in Prussia and she had been raised in the British province of New York. For reasons she cared not to remember, neither place welcomed her. Darcy had come to Loki's country for the same reason she would stay: there was no where else for her to go.

Melancholy gripped her; she was stuck here.

Looking around her, the blue-eyed beauty realized she was in Loki's personal quarters. That creeper. He had an obvious love for hunter green and gold. Also clear was his taste for fine art. Darcy soon found herself pacing with worry. Would she ever leave this prison? Her master had been gone a good half hour and did not say when he would be back.

Her panicky movement was cut short abruptly when a sensation like a slithering snake could be felt along her brain. A sudden urge to vomit nearly overcame her but the knowledge that the resident of the room would highly disapprove kept the bile from coming out.

Emotions not her own were flooding into her mind and a voice echoed in her ears. The words were muffled, like she was under water trying to hear something that was just beyond the surface. With a sudden clarity, the words slammed into her.

**Stop trudging around up there or I'll stop blocking the pain you have yet to recover from. **Loki's voice sounded off loudly in Darcy's mind. With a small, surprised jerk, the small woman fell backwards onto the bed. Surely she had imagined the whole thing. No one could project words into someone else's thoughts. Right? **Maybe not a pathetic mortal, but a god obviously can**_**. **_Once again, his languid, almost bored tone came back to her.

Darcy almost cried. Did he not even need to touch her anymore to inflict the pain from last night? He obviously didn't need to, to access her thoughts. Hoping that he would hear, Darcy kept one thought at the front of her mind. **I'm sorry for being ungrateful, but please don't hurt me like that again.**__As the God of Lies, Loki probably knew she was not sorry in the least, but she prayed beyond hope that he didn't tear her mind apart again.

**Why would I adhere to anything you request, especially when you so pathetically lie within the same sentence? **_Damn._ The tears began to flow freely with a newfound sense of hopelessness. How could she go up against a god in a battle of will? He was slowly but surely crushing her sanity.

Before she could cover her face with the pillow she held, a hand plucked the object from her grip. "I will not have you soiling my bed anymore than your mere presence had already." Loki was scowling down at her once again, looking at her like the sight of her made him sick.

An incredibly sarcastic and provoking remark almost escaped before she realized what an error it would be to anger him further. "I'm sorry," Darcy managed to ground out the words, matching her scowl with one of her own. His gorgeous green eyes darkened at her thinly veiled contempt. Loki was suddenly very close to her face, and it was obvious that whether or not she actually said how much she hated him, he would know.

"Your thoughts suggest otherwise." Loki noted that while literally trembling in fear, the mortal's ridiculous tears had stopped and she met his gaze without flinching.

"Then maybe you should stop looking through them." Her tone was as if the notion was painfully obvious and he was a fool for not doing so.

The god leaned back, and observed his servant. Her eyes were red and puffy from the small bout of crying, her hair was still mussed from thrashing around in the pain he had inflicted, and with a twitch of his nose he realized she had not changed from the outfit she strained herself in the night past. In short, Darcy Lewis looked positively dreadful.

"Of course I do! Normally I've gotten appropriate sleep and a bath by now!" The silly mortal screeched at him with an indignant flush in her cheeks. She immediately started fussing about the state of her hair, trying to make the brown/black curls lay flat.

Darcy stopped her fidgeting when an unreadable look passed over the gods face. A frown tugged at her lips. He wasn't being condescending or downright mean. Just staring at her like he expected her to reach over and slap him. It left a bad feeling in her gut.

"What have I done now? Or do you just like staring as pretty girls on your bed?" Darcy didn't bother smothering her sarcastic tendencies. Loki jumped, her voice taking him away from his thoughts.

Gathering his composure back, the god turned away from the mortal pet on his bed. Earlier, he had been discussing her removal from his residence with Jane. The woman fought tooth and nail to keep Darcy, claiming that there was no room to be picky at a time like this. Eventually she relented to his demands. Loki had come back to tell the girl that her services would no longer be needed. But this changed things. Mental links were not supposed to be like this; his thoughts had never been for anyone else but himself to see.

Loki looked back at the girl who was currently looking around his room. The look of awe reminded him of the night before when she had entered the study. Seeing an opportunity for mischief, a devilish grin spread across his face.

Twisting his hand behind his back, the trickster swallowed back his smile. No need to alert her of what he was doing. One of the roped hanging from the curtain for his window by the bed suddenly twitched taking the form of a giant anaconda. Darcy slowly turned her head, taking in all of her surroundings. An unexplainable feeling of nervousness washed over her when her gaze landed on Loki. There was a twinkle in his eye that she _really_ didn't like.

Before she could question him, a long hiss behind her froze every muscle in her body. Turning slowly, Darcy found a gigantic snake descending from the curtain rail of the window. Immediate panic seized her. Was it poisonous? Would it attack if she remained completely still? Her body refused to let the latter be answered as she soon found herself leaping from the bed and behind the nearest object.

Loki snickered as her face went from awe to suspicion to skin paling shock. With a quickness he had yet to have seen from her, she launched away from the illusion and scrambled to seek shelter behind him. The situation was no longer entertaining. The mischief maker waved his hand and the anaconda fell limp, reverting back into a simple curtain rope. He turned his head to the quivering woman behind him. She was gripping his coat with a wary look on her face, clearly not trusting that the snake was gone.

"Darcy." The girl in question jumped when she heard the low, seductive tone. She flicked her gaze up to his face. Following his line of sight, she realized her hands were tightly gripping him. Pulling up a mask of dignity, Darcy released her hold and smoothed down her rumpled clothes.

"That was unnecessary and cruel." She stated in coldly and with as much bite as possible. The twinkle of mischief returned to his eyes. There was no remorse. As she continued to glower at him, Loki's face fell into a frown . While it had been amusing to scare her in such a way, he needed to address the troubling issue of her knowing what had been going through his mind.

"Sit down. Now." Darcy threw him a dirty look, but complied by the warning in his voice. Before she could land on his bed, he steered her towards the chair next to it. She plopped down, not bothering to be graceful. "How did you do it?" The question was asked with calculating suspicion.

"You mean how did I get so shockingly lovable? I'm just amazing!" She batted her eyelashes sarcastically. The god before her was not amused.

"How did you know what I was thinking!" Loki's patience for the girl had run out. Her antagonistic comments finally got a reaction from him.

Darcy frowned at the outburst. "I don't think I like your tone, _sir._ Maybe if you asked nicely I'll tell you." Her master's eyes widened comically at her words. Pride welled in her, knowing she had left the god with the silver tongue speechless.

Just as a smug expression came over her face, Loki leapt at her. Lifting her by her neck, he tossed the girl on the bed. As he pinned her down, Loki could see by her thoughts that she was flashing back last night when she was in the same position. Overwhelming fear and hopelessness seemed to consume her and the God of Mischief felt slightly offended. While ruthless, he did not inflict pain without reason like some sort of barbarian. The girl had her hands over her temples and was trying to curl up into a ball. He may enjoy seeing her afraid, but she was clearly over reacting. Loki pulled back enough for her to wiggle away. Darcy immediately flipped her back towards him and latched onto one of the pillows again.

A frown landed on the trickster's face. Darcy wasn't calming down. Her heart rate was erratic and she couldn't breathe fast enough to keep up. Annoyance filled him. The human body was so counterproductive. Though if she was hurt by her own body, it could prove harmful to himself. Yet again he berated himself for accidently forming such a strong link with a fragile being.

One arm snaked around Darcy's waist and pulled her flush against a warm chest. Knowing exactly whose it was, she struggled to worm away. The hold on her tightened and she felt an equally warm hand slide up her leg. Humiliation filled her as the touch calmed her fear somewhat. Of course he would know how to calm her down; he could possibly know every aspect of her entire mind seeing as he was always in it.

**You need to calm down, haustier. **He whispered the last word in her parents language. Loki's voice was calm in the storm of her thoughts. Darcy knew the affection in his tone was false but coupled with the motion along her thigh was slowly making her feel lethargic. The shaking of her shoulders stilled as she felt his presence in her mind. Unlike the times before, it was a soothing balm towards her emotions rather than an accelerant. Darcy allowed her master to turn her over to face him. He was giving her a calculated look but it was not unkind. Once again Loki's smooth, melodic voice flowed into her.

**Please tell me how you knew what I had been thinking. **Darcy felt very compliant. For once he was not making her feel like she mean nothing.

**I have no idea. I felt more than heard it. **That was not what Loki had been expecting. She had not intentionally looked into his thoughts, he had broadcasted them to her. That was even worse.

Loki continued to massage her thigh, pushing the feeling of exhaustion. **Sleep, haustier. **It took minutes for her to fall into oblivion. The god carefully detached himself from her gentle grip. He felt relieved that he no longer had to fake affection, though it was not as difficult to do as he would hope. He found himself frowning at the girl in his bed yet again.

Hours passed while Darcy slept and now it was pitch black. The lack of light was no bother to him but a human would never be able to adjust. Loki looked up from the novel in his hand when a he felt a stirring in her mind.

"Sir?" Darcy's little voice was thick with sleep as she called out to her master. He got up from his spot on the chair and went over to her small form. She was sitting up and was looking around with slightly confused eyes, like she couldn't remember where she was and how she had gotten there. Her large blue eyes landed on him as he approached like she actually knew he was there. She reached out a hand that grasped at nothing before eventually landing against his arm. His pet looked towards the general direction of his face with a bleary expression.

The urge came out of nowhere. She was practically begging for it and the opportunity was presented so perfectly. Pushing her back down onto the bed, Loki covered her lips with his own. She let out a small squeak and every muscle in her tensed. The god threaded his fingers through her hair, pushing some less than decent thoughts into her mind. Darcy finally regained control when one hand begin to creep up her shirt, sliding against her smooth flesh. As much as she wanted to get away from his touch, the image he sent her depicting what he'd do if she did stopped her. Tears flowed from her eyes as Loki's hand massaged her large breast. Was it not enough that he violated her mind? He had to take what little else she had left?

The god above her pulled back and she could feel his breath puff against her cheek. A minute amount of hope sparked in her before he quickly crushed it. Loki moved the hand in her hair to under her bottom and pulled her up towards his body. She felt herself pushed against his rock hard erection and when he let out a low moan, the fear coursing through Darcy exploded into full blown terror.

"Stop, please…" Sobs choked her words when he began rocking his hips. The plea did nothing but incite him to press harder. His hand gripped her breast so tight Darcy knew there would be bruises. He was still throwing thoughts of naked flesh and lustful screams into her mind, but whenever she tried pushing him off they turned to fearful images involving restraints and monstrous strength.

Before she could stop herself, Darcy screamed into his mind. **Please! Don't take this from me! **Loki immediately pulled back and even though she couldn't see him in the dark, Darcy got the distinct impression that he was confused. His body was frozen against her. Ever so slowly he moved his hands from their inappropriate places to framing her face. Loki lowered his forehead against her neck. Darcy opened her mouth to say something but before the words could form Loki commanded her to sleep. Her mind deferred to his stronger will.


	4. Chapter 4

Loki cursed himself a thousand times over, truly ashamed. How could he have such lack of control? He had put some of his best men to death for such actions. The girl, Darcy, was not the most beautiful mortal he had ever seen, but something about her brought out a monster Loki tried keeping on a tight leash.

At present, she was yet again laying on his bed. Dawn was approaching fast and the god had yet to decide what to do with his pet. Darcy could get into his head and, subconsciously or not, that made letting her leave out of the realm of possibilities. Should he let her go back to her job? Or simply keep her here? While the thought brought some delicious images to mind, he knew without much deliberation that the former would end up happening. She did her work well and Jane would stop pestering him.

A beam of light darted into his room as the sun rose and with an annoyed flick of his wrist, the heavy curtain covered the window. It seemed Loki was too late as a low groan sounded from his bed. Darcy grumbled incoherently before pulling herself upright. A bath sounded so good right now. She knew it had to have been days since her last. Well, she thought to herself, time to get to work.

Fully opening her eyes, the events of the past two days came crashing back to Darcy. The attack in the last room she cleaned, waking up in bed with the God of Mischief, the snake, his pure anger at her mocking, and the terrible humiliation as he nearly took everything from her. Darcy quickly looked around, knowing she was not alone.

Loki leaned against the wall separating his room from the hallway. Yet again he felt disgust as so many emotions briefly covered her face. He slipped into the shadows, knowing it would worry her even more to know someone was there but be unable to see them.

"I know you're there!" Darcy's voice rang out across the room, hitching slightly in thinly concealed fear. Even as she told herself to be brave, she scrunched up farther into the bed.

"Of course I am." The god's velvet words could have come from anywhere, but before she could look around there was a yank on her arm and it seemed the whole world was spinning. Darcy let out a high squeal before her feet finally touched the ground. It took a moment for her vision to come back to her. When it did, she realized she was back in the servant quarters. The bathing area to be precise.

"You could have just told me I needed one, asshole," Darcy mumbled to herself before stripping down. The water was so soothing and with the events of last night, she decided that some major prolonged soaking was needed. The pain in her breast was slowly being ebbed away by the hot water.

"Darcy!" Her eyes snapped open at the urgent tone. Jane Foster was quickly darting around the various other servants in the bathing room. The worried look on her face caused Darcy to reluctantly remove herself from the pool. She had barely wrapped the towel around her body before she was pulled into a crushing hug. "I just got the news! I'm so happy you're being allowed to stay!"

"What do you mean?" Darcy frowned. Being _allowed _to stay?

Jane's smile dipped somewhat in confusion. "Well…Master Loki ordered your dismissal yesterday. But he just came to me retracting the demand!" Yet again Darcy found the woman's surprising grip around herself. The frown deepened. What had she done that warranted dismissal? Anger that had cooled during her soak reignited with a passion.

"I'm going to familiarize myself with the grounds. Thank you for the concern Jane." Darcy hugged the slightly older woman before putting her clothes back on and exiting the bathing room. As she wandered the giant building, the anger kept flaring higher and higher. She had done nothing! Eventually Darcy found herself pushing open a door to the back terrace. Everything was covered with snow a foot high and it was still coming down hard. She rejoiced in the cold weather; it had always been easier to simmer down in, almost like the chill soothed the flames of her burning emotions. It was just past midday when the blue-eyed beauty could think straight again. The nerve of that bastard to try to make her leave for no reason!

**It was well within my rights considering the way you addressed me. **Darcy gasped, falling off the bench she had been leaning on. So caught up in her musing, the sensation of him slipping into her mind had not registered. **You are perhaps the clumsiest person I have ever met.**

The anger that Darcy had managed to reign in came back full force and before she could stop herself, the response resonated through both their minds. **You are nothing more than a spoiled brat who likes to break his toys simply because he can. **She slapped her hands over her mouth as if the words were said aloud. This was not going to end well.

True to her prediction, there was a shaking in the ground she still sat upon. The snow swirling to the ground changed its direction and gathered in a tall mass before her. Then it scattered at all angles revealing the imposing and very angry God of Mischief. If looks could kill, Darcy would be sinking into the soil beneath her. When he started moving forward, she scrambled to her feet.

As much as she didn't want things to get worse, her mouth had a mind of its own. "I haven't done anything you over entitled child! I've been here three days and look what _you've _done! If anything you should be apologizing, not terrorizing those who serve you! Is this how you treat all your servants? Like we're nothing but a source of mild entertainment when pressed too far?!" By the end of her screeching, Darcy was less than a foot away from him, huffing from the amount of adrenalin being produced. If Loki was angry before, he was positively murderous now.

What did she think gave her the right to talk back like that? A lowly mortal with no special talent except infuriating him. She was shaking in her boots, from the cold in part. There was fire in her eyes like the first time they had fought and he found himself wondering what she would do with that fire is pushed farther. Loki opened his mouth to respond but to both their shock her small hand collided with his cheek with more force than seemed possible with her lack of defined muscle. He looked back at the short girl in front of him, honestly too stunned to react. Her blue eyes got bigger and bigger before she abruptly spun around and made a beeline for the doors.

Once safely back inside, Darcy maneuvered herself to the servant quarters. Running through the halls, she didn't see the red headed woman until she rammed into her. "I'm so sorry!" Darcy struggled to get up from the floor, her legs weak from adrenalin. "Just having one of those frazzled days you know!" Romanoff (if she remembered correctly) looked impassive as she got off the floor.

"You're the one everyone's been chattering about. Is any of it true?" Darcy gave her a confused look. Is any of _what _true? Romanoff caught the bewilderment of her face and elaborated. "Apparently some people believe you were in Master Loki's chambers for nearly two days." Darcy was sure her face would catch fire any second now. Opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water, she tried to think of the right words to respond with. Somehow through her floundering, she managed to calmly reply.

"As my job is cleaning, Master Loki believed it best that his room be touched up. He saw what a fantastic job I had done with the study and guest rooms so he decided I would be the best choice." Those were certainly not her words. Before she could contemplate where they had come from, the red head threw out an amused smile.

"You know, you lie almost as good as he does." With that, the deadly woman continued to whatever place she had been heading to before running into Darcy. Said girl remained in her place, gaping until Romanoff disappeared around the corner. Shaking her head ruefully, the blue-eyed woman stalked off to the servants ward.

As soon as she pushed open the door, she wished she hadn't; every woman was giving her some form of unhappy glare. Some were disapproving, others envious, and a few were downright hateful. Shame filled her, even though she knew they all had the wrong idea. Walking to her bed was a challenge and twice she had been tripped . the shame was replaced with annoyance. They were acting like children! Darcy squared her shoulders and marched over to her bed, intending to get sleep during the eight hours before her shift. However, it seemed her gracious roommates had other plans.

Darcy soon found the covers ripped off of her and a strong grip throwing her from the bed. She got to her feet immediately, anger pumping into her yet again. A tall, beautiful blonde haired woman was standing before her, pure hate causing her glare to invoke images of sharp objects.

"So you're the harlot Master has chosen to warm his bed? I would have thought he had better taste!" A shrill, painfully fake laugh escaped the other servant's bright red lips.

Darcy's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "Harlot? Me? Aren't those usually blonde and annoying?" To her delight, the taller woman stopped laughing.

"Look, since you're new here, I'll just explain some things. Master Loki is _mine._ It was surely a lapse of judgment that he chose you!" By now they were toe to toe and trying to seem as threatening as possible.

Before Darcy could respond, there was a collective gasp that echoed from the room and the belligerent woman in front of her looked like she swallowed a bug. The short woman turned around, already knowing what everyone was staring at. The God of Mischief was standing close behind her, clad in incredibly intimidating armor complete with an awe-inspiring helmet with two great horns extending from it. His eyes were trained on the blonde servant with a calm look Darcy knew was deceptive. Rage was leaking into her mind from the link and she worried that he might actually kill the blonde woman. The will and capability were certainly there.

Unfortunately, Lynn ( Darcy snatched the name from her master's memory) did not seem to pick up on the unpleasant emotions flowing off of the god. The woman swaggered up to him with a coy smile on her face. "I'm so glad to see you _master _Loki." She bowed low, showing a disgusting amount of her breasts. "I was just explaining how things around here work to the new one. She was a little confused." At this Lynn gave the blue-eyed woman an amused glance, much like one would give to a child who talks about something they know nothing of.

Something in Darcy seemed to suddenly relax. This woman was making a fool of herself! The servants around her had turned their disapproving looks towards her and Loki looked like he wanted to vomit at the sight. **Come here. **The command echoed in her mind and she did so not upon her own will. He wrapped an arm around her waist and looked at her with an intensity that stole her breath away. Darcy felt her skin crawl as his head hipped closer to her own, knowing what he intended to do and why. There was no affection and no desire, just an immature urge to crush the hopes of the blonde servant.

Loki's lips sealed over her own while his hand gripped tightly at her hair. There were loud gasps around her as they looked at the supposedly passionate display. Her master pulled away with a triumphant expression and threw a smug look Lynn's way. The woman looked ready to pop with the anger coursing through her. Darcy opened her mouth to say something but no words came to mind. Thankfully, she was spared from stammering out a response when the doors opened and the servants from the previous shift came pouring in. Some of them walked quietly to their beds or to the bathing area while others openly stopped and stared at their god standing among them.

Loki smirked at the confused and disapproving looks around the room. This should make a fitting punishment for her insolence earlier. "Well ladies, I have some more pressing matters to attend to elsewhere. Please enjoy the rest of your evening," With one last devious grin towards his pet, the trickster willed himself to the place he would be dealing with such matters.

Darcy gaped at the now empty spot in front of her. He just _left?_ After _that?_ Her shock turned to frustration. He left her knowing exactly how unhappy the other servant was with her! **You know what? I hate you. I **_**really**_** hate you. **Amusement was her only response. Not waiting for the other woman to attack, Darcy hurried over to the brunette woman who was yet again barking out orders to the servants reading for their shifts.

"I don't suppose you can use one more worker this afternoon?" The scrutiny suddenly upon her was unnerving.

"Don't worry Miss Hill, she can tag along with me." The apathetic voice of Natasha Romanoff seemed to be enough for Hill as she nodded and instructed them that they would be in the weapons vault. With a quick thank you, Darcy scurried after the red head.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that weasel of a woman Lynn. I've been trying to convince Foster to get rid of her for years now." Romanoff seemed like she was attempting small talk rather than actually caring whom the young woman had encountered. Darcy gave an equally uncaring shrug as she was led to the weapons vault. "I doubt you've ever received any formal training, but for the sake of curiosity, what would be your favourite type of weapon?"

Darcy pursed her lips and thought for a moment. "Anything long range I suppose. The farther away from your enemy the better, right?" She felt self-conscious as amusement flash in the other woman's eyes but it quickly faded at her next words.

"I do believe you'd get along well with my husband. He's an archer for Master Loki's army and those words have been repeated many times to me." Warmth briefly touched her eyes before they faded back to emptiness. "I want you to take inventory; it's protocol before and after shifts." Darcy nodded, took the parchment with the list of items, and set off to log all the impressive artifacts. Some seemed centuries old, others were quite new and likely from this last war. An hour later everything was accounted for so the blue-eyed woman went about her usual job and cleaned the dusty surfaces in the massive room.

When the impressive grandfather clock by the back window rang for nine, Darcy felt her stomach plummet. One of the more ancient weapons, a bronze word with countless gems in the hilt, was missing. She quickly darted around, looking for Romanoff but not daring to call out her name. Relief filled her as a flash of red passed several yards away; however, terror seized her when a hand covered with a damp cloth clamped over her face.

Darcy started flailing wildly, trying to escape the tight grasp. Her limbs began to grow heavy as the stager pulled her towards to the now open back window. With one last jerk, she managed to kick over the grandfather clock before being fully pulled out of the room. The last thing the woman saw as she slipped out of consciousness was the tiny snowflakes floating past the beautiful full moon.


	5. Chapter 5

Natasha Romanoff wanted to scream in both anger and fear. Not only had someone gotten into the weapons vault without her initially noticing, but whoever it was also took Master's plucky little pet; the unforgiving god would surely blame her. She secured the room before seeking out Jane. Someone needed to sound the alert that the premise had been compromised.

As usual, Jane was flitting all over while somehow remaining in one place. Currently she was still dealing with Lynn's formal complaint towards Darcy. The woman claimed she had been harassed and demanded the other be fired immediately. Forster was trying to explain that only Loki had the right to dismiss a servant and was not even in the country. Natasha rolled her eyes, thoroughly unimpressed by Lynn's immature actions.

"I hate to interrupt this important conversation, but it seems we have had an intruder." Her passive voice effectively ended all talking in the room. Everyone was still for a moment before erupting into action. The first thing to do was lock down the entire building. After that, a head count. Then every artifact kept on the premise was logged. In the time it took to get it all done, the master had returned.

His eyes were positively glowing with rage and they landed on Romanoff. Almost immediately an impossibly tight grip encircled her throat. "What. _Happened?_" His voice was so tight, so angry he couldn't even yell. Natasha kept herself as calm as possible, knowing both she and her husband were too valuable for him to cause any real or lasting damage.

"An intruder broke into the weapons vault and took your servant, Miss Lewis. Both she and the assailant were gone by the time I got outside. There were no tracks. It's like they disappeared once outside."

Loki continued to glare with each word, but tried to work through his blind rage. He knew something had been wrong when he returned to his residence only to find it completely locked down. A feeling like a rock settling in his stomach had hit him and he immediately reached for the mind of his pet. The rock increased to that of a boulder when he felt nothing. _Darcy. _No response. _Darcy, I am not angry, but you need to answer me. _Not even a fleeting thought echoed back to him.

Some emotion filled him, clogging his ability to think straight and he immediately sought out Jane. She would know who was responsible for this. So now he tried to calm himself so as to not kill his best killer. Romanoff gave him an irritated look but otherwise kept any emotion to herself. "I don't suppose you can track her through that link?"

Loki didn't bother inquiring how she knew about the private link he shared with his darling pet - she knew about everything - and instead hurried off to the weapons vault. There were fresh traces of her being in the room and for a moment, the god worried it would be the last time he'd ever feel her. Shaking the feeling away, Loki examined the grandfather clock that lay knocked down beside the window Darcy was so obviously pulled from. Anger once again started rolling off of him, sucking the air from the lungs of those who had dared to follow him. "_Leave me._"

No one hesitated to scurry away.

Tears of frustration and fear streamed down Darcy's face. She had a killer headache and the man 'escorting' her kept tossing her around. They were all wearing masks and no one had said a word. Her mind felt fuzzy and for once the connection with Loki was silent and empty. That was more terrifying than she would care to admit.

"Can someone please tell me where we're going? If it's going to take a while I'll need to pee right now!" Darcy gave them all a look, letting them know she was serious. Two looked at each other, then back at her. Something about the way they were now approaching her was entirely too menacing. Gulping back her fear, the busty woman lifted her chin in defiance. She was damn tired of people bullying her. In hindsight, that was a mistake. Once again, she found the damp cloth that rendered her unconscious the first time pressed against her face.

Loki slowly lowered himself to the ground, taking an age old pose any sorcerer worth their salt would recognise. Immediately, his magic flowed more smoothly and far stronger through his body. Tracking living beings was no small task, but hopefully their mental link would make things easier. He clenched his jaw. _Dead as it may be._

His senses flared out, covering miles in seconds. Within minutes, he knew they were no longer in his country. Pushing farther, he knew within two hours that they were no longer in the northern hemisphere. The rock returned to his stomach as he covered more and more ground with no sign of his pet or whoever took her. Reality dawned on him as he finished hours later, having completely scoured the planet. Darcy was no longer on Midgard.

An unexpected well of anger overflowed within and Loki rose to his feet with a sudden need to kill. He had finally found an entertaining little pet who dared defy him, and she had been taken away before he could fully enjoy what she had to offer. His anger was partly towards her and her pathetic lack of self-defence. She should have fought harder, gotten away so she could come back to his bed where she belonged and was going to stay once returned.

Loki swiftly left the vault; not bothering to walk, he transported himself to the one place even more forbidden than his personal chambers: the Communications Tower. One hundred and fifty feet high and made out of solid compressed graphite, it was impossible to climb even with the best of equipment. There were no windows or doors and Loki was the only person on Midgard who could possible enter it.

With a passing glance, he was in the room, surrounded by eight mirrors. Each represented one of the other realms and were only to be used when immediate contact was needed. Taking a personal servant from a ruler was a blatant act of war and an insult. Loki spoke with his daughter first, knowing Hel would give an honest response.

"Someone belonging to me has been taken, and I need to know if she is dead." He kept his face emotionless, knowing Hel would dig if she found any of the agitation he was feeling.

Hel's dual coloured appearance was still morose as usual, but Loki could see her interest had been piqued when he mentioned a woman. She blinked owlishly, before speaking. "I have not received a mortal who had contact with the gods since your last war. Whoever you are looking for has not perished." The barely noticeable relaxation of Loki's shoulders was not lost on his daughter.

"I thank you for your assistance." With that curt farewell, Loki ended the connection. _At least Darcy hasn't __**completely **__loused up. _Squaring his shoulders, the god continued to question the other rulers. Freyr of Alfheim, who like his sister Frigga disapproved of the young god's banishment, appeared quite insulted that after years of support, Loki could accuse him of such a foolish action. However, before the connection was cut, Freyr advised Loki to contact Vanaheim, the homeworld of the Vanir.

The god drew in a deep breath before he did so. Facing his adoptive mother's race was disconcerting enough, let alone the fact that they knew damn near everything a good millenium before it was to occur. The mirror warped, turning on its side and widening. The surface rippled like water before the Vanr Council appeared before him.

"She is with us, King Loki." A woman with long gold hair and blue eyes was addressing him. She looked so like Frigga it caused a painful twist in his chest. Loki gaped, her words finally registering. A growl escaped him.

"Why have you taken what has no use to you?" It was less of a question than a demand to right the wrong. A man with the same blue eyes all vanir had answered him.

"We are disappointed. Even with all your digging, you did not feel her true nature." The vanr seemed highly amused.

"What are you blathering about?" The trickster's words were like the snap of a whip.

"Your Darcy Lewis is almost entirely vanr in nature." Once again the woman addressed him. Loki stared at her, the words refusing to sink in. What in the name of Valhalla? His Darcy, not a mortal? She had _lied _to him? Opening and closing his mouth a few times, he managed to ask the woman to explain.

"When we vanir realized we were to lose the war with the Æsir, we sent ten men and women to Midgard in the event of total extinction on Vanaheim. It was nearly a century later when your mother," Loki frowned at the inappropriate term, "agreed to mary Odin, ending the war. By then, the people we had sent down had grown to love Midgard. They walked among the humans, many giving up their immortality to be with loved ones as mortals. As the millennia went on, eventually all the blood lines crossed at some point. Blood of the gods calling to blood of the gods. All leading down to two people: Miss Lewis's parents. They passed it down to her, leaving her as the only living descendant of the greatest of the vanir during the time of war." The woman watched as Loki carefully sat himself down on a large leather chair as if afraid his legs would no longer support him.

"...why did you take her?" of all the questions now swimming around his head, that was the only one that escaped.

"Unfortunately, mortal blood does not react well with that of a vanr. The electrical charges that occur when we have visions are often too much for the mortal structure. A vision, even just one, can kill those who are untrained or those who have exceptionally strong blood. She is going through a type of...therapy that will prevent any brain damage once her visions really start coming in. Thank you for alerting us."

"How...?" Loki felt a type of speechlessness he had not felt since before his banishment. Thankfully, the still unnamed woman seemed to understand.

"Your connection allowed us to find her. Vanir cannot have visions of demigods, so many simply die before we can find them. However, your psychic _abuse,_" she glared quite heavily at Loki as she said this, a look he returned, "caused her blood to react, allowing us to find her before anything other than unnatural intuition could set in."

Loki kept his face blank despite the internal storm of emotions raging within him. That little..._prevaricator_. She had to know she was not normal, and if not herself than at least her parents. Despite that, Darcy had _lied _to him. Her master, and the god who walked among mortals. He had offered his residence up to her and she felt inclined to hide such precious information away. Loki spoke to council once more. "When will I have my servant back?"

There was a collective frown between them at the demeaning word for such a higher being. "She will be presented to you in 20 days. The psychic link between you has been severed though. It would be unwise to try to connect with her so soon after such intensive therapy."

With a dismissive wave of his hand, Loki ended the connection. Rage seethed through him, from both Darcy's deception and from having her taken away with such abruptness. In an attempt to calm himself, the god shifted his presence to the study, hoping a good book would take his mind off the current situation. In hindsight, this was one of the worst decisions he had ever made.

Every surface had Darcy's scent on it from the days previous when she cleaned it. Along with her sweet aroma Loki could clearly remember the way her body moved to reach the various places. That in itself caused a whole different problem very inconvenient given the current whereabouts of the only woman to incite such a reaction in quite sometime. Loki sighed. Twenty days, and he would have his pet again.


End file.
